Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-18
FATTY WALSH AND THE TONES.
The Bargain Which Resulted in His
appointment as Warden.


respectable portion OF the population,
was recently appointed warden of the
TOmbs through a bargain made by en-
Mayor Cooper and others of the swallow
tail' Democracy, still! retains his place
despite all the clamors of public decency.
be is TAT, iGCorant, audaCiOus sCDemer,
who SAYS: ''l,n a respectable cltizeu,
am; them u knows me hasn't anytnin z
agin me-" He was formerly a gambler
and was indicted by the grand Jury. And
yet he was recommended for his present
position by District Attorney Mar
Doodle Aldermen. / mention tbs
rose OF New Iork politics because nearly
every large city has its Fatty" W alsh.
He owes his success in city politics very
largely 10 his attention to the Italian ele-
ment OF the Sixth ward. He was the
hOney-tongped of ungrammatIcal pio-
neers among the br0uZed and macarOni
loving SOUS OF Italy. and they fOndly
designate INN SignOr Fatta Wabash, 1t
may be of interest to glance at the scene
Of this Celtic Falstatf's peculiar ,riumphs.
The centre OF tb g 7lXth ward swarms with
Italians 5,gns in Italian are displayed
over " any OF the shops; there are cigar
stores, liquor saloons. groceries ana laun-
dries kept by the degenerate sons of the
Iduu bL NdTAUdluI duu maLLiHi. OF
Michael Angelo and SavOnarOa. There
are several buildings, moreover, de-
voted almost entirely to Italian organ
grinders, some of which accommodate as
many as nifty of these foes of harmony
and the auditory nerves, not to mention
some two dozen monkeys, who cuddle up
like infants 10 their masters on the hard
pallets, and form curious feature in a
scene that might better be pictured vita
fnpl iraO of hro, 6,,,.
vealed in the clear light of day. 1t is a
scene that suggests the unspeakabie
squaI IT and filth OF the dark ages, whence
issue OdOrS that rival the tabled smells Of
Vulcan's stithy.
SOME WHO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH.
Very few the lower class CT Italians
can speak En&lsh, and they have Jew
friends among the Irish aud Germans,
who are nearly absolute IN tha politics o.
the city. In Slgnor Fatta Wabash, as
Mr.. Fatty Walsh is not infreTuently
dubbed. tue lazzaroni and other Italians
OF New York nave found a strong and
Jealous advocate. Ii he does not under
stand Italian he understands human ma
ture. As we have seen, his hold upon
the Italian vote in tnat Gehenna OF New
York, the Sixth ward, Is one of the great
secrets OF his success IS a politician. He
is the friend OF the roughs Of all nation
alities and has the impudence to call a
Police Justice off the bench for private
consultation about mlscreants whose
cases the Justice Will be called upon to
try, and he always appears Tor the pur
pose OF defeating the ann of the Law. H.
had narrow escape from being elected
an Alderman in 1884. and, believe, now
congratulates himself on his defeat, for
it was the board OF that year Who a e now
stigmauzed as the "Doodle'' Alderm n.
Such 10 the present custodian OF the pris-
oners at the T0mbs. 1t seems like Beel-
Zebub keeping an eve on his friends and
relatives. | understand he Is ANXIOUS to
have as many Doodle Aldermen as pos
sible Mt 10 the TOmhs, so that be Can
swell his salary by charging them liberal
~ for meals brought IN from outside, and
he IS SAID TO be already figuring up the
prospective profits Ia boarding his old
friends whom the law now has by the
nape of the neck.
SITE OF THE TOMBS IN EARLY DAYS
Speaking OF the Iombs recalls the fact
tnat IN the early days of New York the
site of lbat prison was occupied by a
large pond called the Collect. 1t was on
this sheet of watem surrounded by large
naples, oaks and ash trees, that Fitch
tried his first experiments with his
steamboat about 1890, or some seventeen
wears before Futon sailed up the Hudson
river IN the Clermont. This pond was
said IN early times TO be unfath0mable,
and the water rises TO this day IN the
neIghborhood Of the T0mbs and fills the
cellars. IL was on this bGdT of water
that son OF George ILL.,, the Duke OF
Kent, then midshipmRn in the Royal
NAVY and stterward father OF the pres
ent Queen of England, had a severe fall
while skating. AS the city grew up to-
ward the Collect great piles OF dirt and
debris were thrown into it, and II finally
became nuisance, Wbereunon the
Common Council ordered the pond, COW
ering about three city blocks, TO be filled
up. 1t remained "A waste place till about
1885, when the mud, refuse and rubbish,
rotting tor years, blOssomed INFO wnat
Nathaniel Hawthorne has called the
black flower of civilized society, prison.
But no Hester PryHne, naughty in spite
OF that fateiul scarlet letter A emilia
zoned on Der gully breast, has ever
stepped forth from the greal sOmbre gate
way of this prison to endure the taunts
of an idle crowd i'll steeple crowned hats
and to bear the sha anne, the exquisite men
ia, torture OF the barharous pillOry; the
horde Of criminals who find lOdEment in
the TOmbs are hard and commonplace
and among them "A murderer IS consid-
cred hero.
VOLUME OF ENGRAYINGs.
John J.. Stevens, who has lately re-
turned from foreign tour, published d
volume of englaVings which comprised
some OF the eiOOmiest structures known
TO Egyptian architecture, and 1t was from
this hodge .podgn OF the ancient schools
that the City Fathers chose the design tor
the new prison. Il stands TO day gray
granite structure u the Egyptian siy'e,
and probably the most repulslY9 prison
I'm aupearance Of any in this country;
there is not touch to relieve II OF It's
sullen gloon; of its beL1med, mean ana
calling aspect. II occupies sold block,
and what history might be written o.
what had occurred, what mas oeen sui
fered, IN tuat crcumscubed area! Muir
derers TOO many to tnumerate nave
marched TO the gallnws, taken their last
look at the skv, sniNered IN the cold OF
early winter mornings or telt the m'ckery
ola day in June ere they took the fatal
leap that lett them in that mysterl-
Gus bourne whence none return;
criminals of all sorts, male
and female, have telt the iron grasp
OF the law 10 this dungeon, and among
the more recent was well-dressed'
jaunty-looking man Ia shining beaver
\ nat who had exercised not lttle power
4 In the city. 1t was Henry w. Jaehne'
4 once Vice President OF the Board OF Al
dermeu; still another was the ron
nerved ex-AldeTman Arthur McQuade'
Whosa nn,,rrun in the nour hat saw him